Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 378 posts

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#311

Post by JKCalhoun »

WalterBright wrote: post #150
anovikov wrote: post #2

But really, it was just about four-engine planes becoming too expensive to run. Two-engine planes won. 777 burns 30% less fuel per passenger and has almost the same cabin width. And top level became a flop because it's too narrow for a first class cabin by today's standards and all other uses for them make no sense. Top floor existed at all because it was Boeing's entry for a heavy cargo plane competition in which C-…

> it was just about four-engine planes becoming too expensive to run Four engines are also less safe than twin engines. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but Boeing did the math and made the case.

My understanding is that the 747 has the highest safety record of any commercial plane. Is that not true?

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#312

Post by angled »

WalterBright wrote: post #204
anonymars wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you link to the source?

My time working on Flight Controls at Boeing.

Not sure if you ever make it over to HKG but there are quite a few cargo 747s that still seem to be making the rounds. CX and others have them on the GA / cargo side, and when on Lantau you often see (and hear!) them on final or takeoff.

I think CX would hate to retire them because from what I understand their load capacity is unparalleled. And you can load horses in them! There'll always be money from that for HAECO to keep them aloft.

It's even better when you're at the bus terminal at HKIA and watching them fly overhead...

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#313

Post by none2585 »

microgpt wrote: post #238
nehal3m wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope you replied something like 'No, meeting this project deadline is more important than YOUR child dying, to me this is a paycheck.' That's what I would've been thinking in the shower 2 days after the conversation, anyway.

Plot twist: manager's child flew on a 737 MAX that crashed

We can hope but those types tend to fly in private jets.

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#314

Post by freetime2 »

Sweepi wrote: post #310
rob74 wrote: post #260

> Combining the immensity of an ocean liner and the elegance of a swan, the 747 is the only commercial jet that deserves to be called beautiful. If this article is going to be so poetic, I'm not sure I can continue reading it. Let's just stop for a moment and remember that the 747's, er, distinctive shape wasn't some designer's fancy, it was dictated by necessity: while it was being designed, Boeing feared that in th…

Also: > In the cabin, the heft makes the plane feel almost still, even at 500 miles an hour and 35,000 feet; it is the only plane I have ever flown in whose takeoff and landing were imperceptible to the senses. "Only"? Not "First"? Ever flown an A380?

And "takeoff and landing were imperceptible to the senses" is quite an exaggeration for both the 747 and A380. They are nice to fly, but takeoff and landings are definitely perceptible. Unless the author was black-out drunk for both takeoff and landing.

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#315

Post by mr_toad »

GMoromisato wrote: post #124
sidewndr46 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems like an odd version of the story. My understanding is Boeing designed lots of military aircraft, not all reached production. The 747 is the result of some of that design work.

You should read the book, if you're interested. From the book (p.84): "Time and time again there appears in print the logical but false assumption that Boeing took its losing military C-5 bid and revamped it as the commercial 747. In fact, the 747 would be an entirely original design that owes nothing to the C-5." That said, in the same chapter he talks about how GE developed a high-bypass turbofan engine for the C-5…

> only because they had such an engine that the 747 became possible.

Many engine manufacturers were experimenting with high-bypass ratios; Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce. GE was just first to production. If they hadn’t done it, someone else would have.

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#316

Post by DaiPlusPlus »

watwut wrote: post #298
budsniffer952 wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Of course there is not zero percent chance executive said it. If you dont believe so, you never listened to what people including executives actually say in practice. Trying to insult OP does not make an argument.

> If you dont believe so, you never listened to what people including executives actually say in practice.

Yes.

> "I feel liberated," one top banker told the paper. "We can say 'retard' and 'pussy' without the fear of getting cancelled.… It's a new dawn."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-win-tech-bros-celebrating-1...

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#317

Post by ToucanLoucan »

pjmlp wrote: post #309
tetris11 wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like people on HN who have comfortable passive incomes from stocks or other sources forget that people need a paycheck to sustain their lifestyles.

Many of us live in countries with work legislation that disallowes this kind of management.

I'm told that's communism

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#318

Post by ElevenLathe »

budsniffer952 wrote: post #296
GuB-42 wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just human decency. We all know that some CEOs will sacrifice your child for their goal. In fact, many people are ready to sacrifice other people children as long as they are distant enough, war wouldn't be a thing if we didn't. But saying it out loud is another thing, it is, to me, a terrible blunder in terms of communication, and executives who talk like that should 100% get fired. They are the face of the comp…

[flagged]

I don't know why it's so hard to believe. It's well established that people say (and do) very nasty stuff when under stress (see: war). It's also well established that people with power tend to minimize the distress of those less powerful. Between these two, how hard is it to imagine that some mandarin at Boeing would say something like this if he thinks his bonus/summer house/childrens' private school tuition are in jeopardy?

Re: The Boeing 747 begins its final descent

#319

Post by SoftTalker »

apelapan wrote: post #25
SoftTalker wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah economy class on a 747 sucks as much as it does on any other airliner.

On the A380 you get to enjoy the higher ceiling also in economy. It does make quite a difference for how cramped you feel, even though the leg room might be the same. And both B747 and A380 fly much calmer than the smaller, lighter widebodies, which is equally nice for passengers on all classes.

Granted, like any widebody it's a bit less claustrophobic. But the personal space, the legroom, the size of the lavatories, etc. is no better at least to my recollection; I've only flown on a 747 a handful of times and it's been at least 10 years.
Post reply on HN